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Don Y[_3_]

On 2/20/2016 10:26 PM, wrote:
On Sat, 20 Feb 2016 16:39:15 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

On 2/20/2016 4:31 PM, wrote:

Unfortunately, big crop this year -- I've even started juicing the *navels*
(disgustingly sweet) -- and the freezer is already pretty full with other
items. In the past, the navels came due earlier than the Valencias...
which came due earlier than the blood oranges. But, winters have been
getting less severe and the trees want to get started on the *next* crop
sooner (the oranges are just starting to blossom; lemon has been
setting out blossoms all winter; lime already has small *fruit*!)

There is a guy up the street who sells them cheaper than maintaining
the trees

Here, folks let them rot on the tree. Or, pick them -- but they are crap
because they haven't attended to them throughout the growing season.

Navels are presently $1/pound in the store. We'll probably pick 250 pounds
of navels and another 250 of valencia. We got 60 pounds of lemons off a
4 ft tree...

And then what. You have 500 pounds of fruit that will only last a few
weeks and nothing to do with it.
That was my problem. I was trying to give away fruit all winter but
everyone knew someone else with trees.
I did make orange juice moonshine one year that was interesting.

We will leave many of the navels on the tree until they blossoms
force us to pick them -- eating them off the tree as desired.

The Valencias get juiced. This year, so many navels that we are
juicing them as well. Note that about half of the weight of
the fruit gets lost in the juicing. E.g., 25 pounds of oranges
yields about 6 quarts of juice (~12 pounds of liquid). The other
13 pounds goes in the trash. So, I'm guessing 15G of juice
out of this harvest.

Last year, "fresh" oranges until June (out of the refrigerator)
and (frozen) OJ until October. This year, we'll probably make
it through December with the OJ.

(Having a very large freezer helps!)